The Battlefield 2042 technical test has led to some revelations about the upcoming first person shooter, in particular the nature of the Hazard Zone game mode.
While they have officially revealed nothing except for the mode’s name, DICE have been keen to stress that Hazard Zone is most certainly not a battle royale game mode. Instead, dataminer Temporyal has been able to uncover references in the technical test that suggest Hazard Zone is more like multiplayer survival shooter Escape from Tarkov.
Hazard Zone seems to be indeed a mix between Escape from Tarkov & Hunt Showdown.
The ? "Orbital" map in #Battlefield 2042 has built-in support for this game mode. Other known locations can't be verified without additional data. No sign of a Hazard Zone exclusive map available. pic.twitter.com/C1imZe2Hdi
— temporyal (@temporyal) August 13, 2021
Temporyal examined the “Orbital” map from Battlefield 2042, which seems to have built-in support for the game mode – there won’t be a Hazard Zone exclusive map, unlike the battle royale mode for Battlefield V. From there, they were able to discover that you will be dropped into an area via Little Bird and tasked with collecting intel from data drives and crashed satellites, before trying to reach an extraction point in time.
Hazard Zone maps will have interactive points for picking up ammo, calling in the Ranger robot dog or HDT Storm ATV to get around. These boosts will come in handy when encountering AI soldiers on patrol, who can then call in reinforcements and parachute in. AI “bosses” could also appear.
Through successful extractions, you’ll earn Hazard Zone currency, which could be used to buy one of the twelve tactical upgrades, from spotting duration and increased ammo to an additional player respawn.
From what Temporyal seems to have uncovered from the technical test, it sounds like DICE has been inspired by Escape from Tarkov, which has a similar goal of finding loot and making an escape to an extraction zone. There’s also certain shades of Hunt: Showdown. However, it’s not clear how many players Battlefield 2042’s Hazard Zone will support. The main ‘All-Out Warfare’ game modes support up to 128 players on current gen consoles and PC. Will Hazard Zone be as tense and sparse as its inspirations, or will it be an action-fest like the rest of Battlefield 2042?
So far, DICE has officially unveiled the All-Out Warfare mode with Conquest and Breakthrough and up to 128 players on newer systems – PS4 and Xbox One will be restricted to 64 players. The game will have the biggest maps ever found in the series, as well as AI characters that will help keep these massive maps feeling populated at all times.
Alongside that, the newly rebranded Ripple Effect studio has cooked up Battlefield Portal. Remastering content from the original Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, Portal puts control of the game in your hands, letting users mashup their own game modes, create unique experiences, and more.
Battlefield 2042 will release on 22nd October 2021 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Battlefield 2042 guides & more from TheSixthAxis
- Battlefield 2042 on PS4 & Xbox One limited to 64-players and smaller maps
- Preview: Battlefield 2042 has huge 128-player battles, but it’s much more than that
- The Maps of Battlefield 2042 and Battlefield Portal
- Battlefield 2042 – Specialists and Classes Guide
- Battlefield 2042 cross-platform play detailed – PS5, Xbox Series X|S & PC separate from PS4 & Xbox One
